Residue-crude-oil burner.



PATENTED AUG. 22, 1905.

J. M. ONEALL. v RESIDUE CRUDE OIL BURNER.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 11. 1903.

E! mzzlzaza UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFIGE.-

RESlDUE-CRUDE-OIL BURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1905.

Application filed February 11, 1903. Serial No. 142,881-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. ONEALL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dallas, Texas, have invented a new and ImprovedResidue-Crude-Oil Burner, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to burners which consume gas manufactured fromcrude oil or petroleum and which are used principally for heatingpurposes; and the object is to produce a burner which will furnish theheat which is utilized in the manufacture of the gas to be consumed andby which the entire operation of manufacturing gas for heating andilluminating purposes is automatic and also automatic in separating theby-products or residue tar from the gas.

Much of the crude oil now on the market contains considerable matterthat is for practical purposes incombustible and either chokes theburners or accumulates on the boilers or passes off as smoke when theoil is burned. This incombustible matter is a hindrance to obtaining thebest results in burning oil for heating purposes, because thisincor'nbustible matter is present in the flame and destroys much of theheat by consuming the heat.

The object of this invention is to eliminate the incombustible matterand leave a highlyinfiammable gas which will produce intense heat andburn without smoke and to separate and collect this incombustible matteras a residue tar which has a considerable value as a commercial product.By this process crude oil is used directly for heating boilers andvarious other objects, and at the same time a gas is produced which canbe used for illuminating purposes and for heating other objects thanheating the particular boiler in connection with which the gas isproduced.

Other objects and advantages will be fully explained in the followingdescription and the invention will be more particularly pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisapplication.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention,

- showing a broken portion of a boiler in conventional form and showingby dotted outline the position of the walls of a fire-box. Fig.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a perforated disk shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is alongitud-i- I nal section of the burner and its connection with a pipe.Fig. 5 illustrates a spiral tube which is a variation in thesteam-superheater. Fig. 6 illustrates a variation of the mixing vesselor shutler to be used instead of the spiral tube shown in Fig. 1 andFig. 2.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same partsthroughout the several views.

This invention consists of mechanism for superheating steam, of aseparate receptacle for receiving the superheated steam and crude oiland mixing the same, of a receptacle for separating the gas and theresidue tar, and a burner for directing the gas, and consequently theflame, toward said superheating and separating mechanism.

In the drawings are shown superheaters A and B, connected by means of apipe 1. A pipe 2 for delivering steam to the superheaters is connectedwith the superheater A. A pipe 3 conducts the superheated steam to themixing coil 4:. The pipe 2 is connected to the lower part of thesuperheater A, and the pipe 3 is connected to the lower part ofsuperheater B in the same manner as pipe 1 is connected to the upperparts of these superheaters. The superheaters are placed above thegrate-bars of the furnace and in position of the greatest heat zone. Thesteam enters from any suitable supply source through the pipe 2 andleaves the superheater A through pipe 1 and enters superheater B. Thetwo superheaters are similar in construction, and each consists of aplurality of pipes 6, connected at their central parts one with anotherin succession by tubular connections 7, and each pipe is provided with ahorizontal partition 8, which extends close to each end of the pipe, butnot close enough to prevent the passage of the steam. The object of thispartition is to cause the steam to travel for a considerable time whilesubjected to the greatest heat. Each end of each'pipe 6 is closed by athimble-plug 9. The object in having a cavity made in this plug is tolet the steam enter a part of the plug, so that a part of the threadedpart of the plug will be expanded proportionately as the pipe 6 isexpanded by the heat. If there was no cavity in the plug 9, the pipe 6would expand more rapidly than the plug and the plug would be blown outby the steam. This danger is prevented by constructing the plug so thata portion of the threaded part may expand as the pipe expands. The pipe3 may extend below the grate-bars 10 and toward the front of thefire-box and then upward to be connected with the mixing-coil 4:. Thepipe 3 is provided with a union 11. Oil is injected into the steam bymeans of a pipe 12, which connects with the steam-pipe 3 before the pipe3 is connected with the mixing-coil 4. The pipe 12 leads from a suitablesupply source of oil. The oil is converted into gas and residue tar inthe mixing-coil 4 and escapes by a pipe 13 to the separating vessel 14.The amount of oil to be injected into the pipe 3 may be controlled byany suitable cook 15. It .will be noticed that the mixing-coil is placedin the zone of the least'heat. The object of this arrangement is toprevent baking or charring or carbonizing the oil in the mixing-coil.The coil-pipe is preferred as the best mixing vessel, because there areno corners or edges of material to obstruct the passage of the mixtureand for the further reason that, while the passage is unobstructed, thepassage is changing its direction at every particle of the distance, andthus causes the oil and steam to be constantlyagitated.Oneobjectmustbecarefully observed and that is there must be nohorizontal surface in the zone of' the intense heat. Such a surfacewould accumulate charred or baked or carbonized matter. The residue tarmust be separated from the gas just as quick as may be practical, andthis must be done out of the zone of the intense heat, because theresidue tar would be quickly carbonized by the intense heat. The mixedgas and tar must be placed in a vessel in which the motion will beslower than the motion of the mixture was in the mixing-coil. For thisreason the separating vessel 14 must be larger in diameter than theinduction-pipe by which the mixture reached this vessel, and theseparating must be done in a zone of less heat than that in which thesuperheating of steam and gas is accomplished. For this reason theseparation of the gas is accomplished in the lower part of the separatorbelow the gratebars of the fire-box. This separator is placedvertically, so that when the mixture of gas and the residue assumes aslower motion the heavier particles or residue tar will fall by gravityto the bottom part of the separator, where it can be drawn off throughthe pipe 16, and the gas will ascend to the upper part of the separator,the gas being lighter than the residue tar. It has been found that theresidue tar would tend to ascend the pipe 17,.

no flat surface on which the residue might collect and carbonize. Theupper part of the separator is in the zone of intense heat, so that thevapors, which are by thetime they reach this part of the separator gas,are more thoroughly gasified. The gas is taken from the separator bypipes 17 and 20. Pipe 20 may be tapped by a pipe 21 for conveying awaygas for heating or lighting purposes. Pipe 20 may be provided with aunion 22. Any suitable number of burners may be attached to the pipe 20.I show two burners 23 and 24, attached to the pipe 20 and arranged todirect the gas and flame on the upper part of the separator and on thesuperheaters A and B and thence under the boiler H. Each burner may beprovided with apertures 31 for the admission of-air to a mixing-chamber32.

Various changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of thediiferent parts without departing from my invention. One or moresuperheaters may be used. For some purposes, as on a locomotive-engine,a coiled pipe may be preferable as a steam-superheater, such as is shownin Fig. 5. In some instances it may be desirable to use adifferentformofamixingvessel. Fig.6shows shutlers for mixing the oil andsuperheated steam two shutlers, 25 and 26. The pipe 3 is provided withan extension 27, which extends within' a closed tube 28 and which isprovided with a cap .29 and has perforations 30 for the mixture toescape in the tube 28. The mixture would have to pass back to the otherend of the tube 28 and then pass through a pipe 31 to shutler 26, whichis similarin all respects to shutler 25. The mixture would then passthrough pipe 13, as above described.

The steam is heated to a very high degree. The oil is not subjected tosevere heat before it comes in contact with the superheated steam. Gasis immediately generated from the crude oil or that part of the crudeoil which is exposed to thesuperheated steam, and all of the oil isexposed to the heated steam before it passes from the mixer. It will beseen that the generated gas furnishes the heat while being burned forsuperheating more steam for generating more gas, thus making the processautomatic in operation. The gas thus manufactured seems to be almostfree from all impurities and burns with practically no flame andproduces no smoke. The steam used to produce the gas may be said to beincandescent steam. Gas is produced directly from the crude oil withoutheating the oil to any great extent before it comes in contact with thesuperheated steam.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising steam-superheaters arranged in the zone ofgreatest heat, a coiled pipe for mixing superheated steam and crude oil,a pipe connecting said steam-superheaters with said coiled pipe, meansfor injecting crude oil into the superheated steam before entering saidcoiled pipe, and means for separating the gas from the residue tar, saidcoiled pipe being placed out of the zone of intense heat.

2. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising a steam-superheater, a coiled pipe for mixingsuperheated steam and crude oil, a pipe connecting saidsteam-superheater with said coiled pipe, means for injecting crude oilinto said superheated steam before it enters said coiled pipe, aseparator, and a pipe for delivering the mixed gas and residue tar fromsaid coiled pipe to said separator, said separator having lower partthereof below the grate-bars of a fire-box and having the upper partarranged in the zone of greatest heat.

3. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising a steam-superheater, a vessel for mixingsuperheated steam and crude oil, and a separating and heating vesselconnected to said mixing vessel arranged vertically with the heatingpart thereof in the zone of greatest heat and the separating part belowthe zone of greatest heat.

4:. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising a steam-superheater, a coiled mixing-pipeconnected to said steam-superheater, and a separating vessel connectedto said coiled pipe, said steam-superheater being placed in the zone ofgreatest heat and said coiled pipe placed in a less-heated zone.

5. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising a steam-superheater, a coiled mixing-pipeconnected to said superheater, a separating and heating vessel havingthe heating part thereof arranged vertically above the separating partthereof, a pipe connecting said coiled pipe and said separating vessel,and suitable pipes for conveying the gas and the residue tar.

6. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising a steam-superheater, a coiled mixing-pipeconnected to said superheater, a gasheater and residue-separatorarranged vertically, an induction-pipe connecting said coiled pipe andsaid separator, and suitable pipes for conveying the gas and residuetar, the crosssectional arc of said separator being of greater diameterthan said induction-pipe whereby the mixed gas and residue tar has aretarded motion in said separator.

7 A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising steam superheaters, means for mixing superheatedsteam and crude oil connected to said superheaters, and means forseparating the gas and the residue tar, said superheaters eachconsisting of a plurality of tubes or pipes connected by central tubularconnections and having partitions horizontally disposed in said tubeswith a passage at the end of each partition and each end of each tubeclosed by a thimble-plug.

8. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar comprising a steam-superheater, a mixer connected to saidsteam-superheater, and a separator provided with an induction-pipeconnected to said mixer and having suitable pipes for drawing off theresidue and for delivering gas, said separator being arranged verticallyand having the cross-sectional area larger than that of the inductionand eduction pipes whereby the mixed gas and residue tar have a retardedmotion and having the interior wall of the lower part thereof sloping tothe mouth of the pipe for drawing off the residue tar.

9. A burner provided with means for converting crude oil into gas and aresidue tar having a steam-superheater, a mixer connected to saidsuperheater, and a separator, said superheater and the upper part ofsaid separator being arranged in the zone of greatest heat and the lowerpart of said separator and said mixer being arranged or placed in thezone of the least heat for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses,this 23d day of January, 1903.

JAMES M. ONEALL.

Witnesses:

A. L. JAoKsoN, W. H. WRIGHT.

